


Ich bin glücklich, dass es dich gibt

by eafay70



Series: A Very Merry "Advent" Calendar [3]
Category: Football RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Established Relationship, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-03
Updated: 2016-12-03
Packaged: 2018-09-06 07:31:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8740483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eafay70/pseuds/eafay70
Summary: Two people who don't celebrate Christmas are happy in December nevertheless.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I know this will show up on Dec. 4 for some of you, but it's still Dec. 3 here. ;)
> 
> This is a preview to a longer work I plan to start in January. The premise is that Neven is on a two-year loan from BVB to a newly formed MLS club and (at this point in the story) is getting to know Chesed, an American who does social media for the club.
> 
> I'm doing this today because on Dec. 3, 2013, I entered the hospital in Spain and thus saved my life. A year later, when I was back in college, my best friend (who had been in Germany while I was in Spain) snuck a note in my backpack that read, "Ich bin glücklich, dass es dich gibt." (trans.: "I'm happy that there's you.")
> 
> I have never been very good at telling the story of my hospitalization, which is part of why I'm going to write the longer work. Hopefully this little work is good practice.

Neven and Chesed sat by her kitchen window as the Christmas lights turned on. "I love them and hate them," she said.

"That's a reasonable view," he replied. "They're too pretty to completely hate."

"Yeah." Chesed sighed. "It hurts when everyone expects you to join in, you know? Like, when I was in the hospital, they didn't understand that I didn't want Santa, even though plenty of people who don't celebrate would never turn away Santa."

Neven cocked his head. "Was that what...brought you here? That hospital stay?"

"It was." Chesed closed her eyes. "I tried to go to school that day, but I barely made it off the bus. This girl on crutches - never saw her before or since - was helping me to the main office, and she kept saying, _take a deep breath,_ and I had to keep telling here, _I can't take a deep breath,_ because it felt like there was a weight on my lungs keeping them from filling up right. I wound up in the hospital, and everyone was already in the festive spirit. I was so alone - my parents were furious that I ruined their vacation to come visit me, my friends were miles away..." She began to cry. "It felt like nobody...was happy there was me."

Neven took her hands in his and rubbed them in circles with his thumbs. "I'm so sorry, Chesed."

She opened her eyes and sighed. "Thank you. I tell myself that it happened for a reason, but I have no idea what that reason could possibly be."

"Maybe it was to be a good friend of mine?" guessed Neven. "I'm happy that there's you."

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback, please!


End file.
